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The astronaut.

The best or nothing. This motto perfectly sums up Mike Massimino, former NASA astronaut, professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University, and New York Times bestselling author. Mike’s dream of travelling into space was bornon the day that Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon – a dreamthat at first seemed unattainable for a working-class kid with a fear of heights. He was rejected three times by NASA, but he refused to give up, trained hard and on the fourth attempt he was selected to join NASA’s Astronaut Group 16. It is not just his determination, perseverance and passion that make him such a role model. On one of his missions, he entered the annals of history by setting a team record for the most time spacewalking on a single space shuttle mission. Numerous awards, such as two NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the American Astronautical Society’s Flight Achievement Award and the Italian accolade, Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, underline Mike’s role as an exceptional astronaut.

Enduring, but definitely cool.

Space has changed Mike’s view of the world. On the right was the Earth, on the left, the depths of the universe. As he puts it, it had never been so clear to him as in that moment, how incredible, and at the same time, fragile, our planet is. Ever since that experience, measures toward sustainability, such as zero-emission vehicles, have been very close to his heart.

At the same time, the astronaut of people’s hearts, who is lovingly dubbed “Astro Mike”, really values cool design and perfect functionality. And this in turn fits perfectly with his relaxed attitude as a pop-culture icon and digital spaceman, as he demonstrates in numerous guest appearances on “The Big Bang Theory” and other television programmes. It was no coincidence that Astro Mike was the person who sent the very first tweet from space and is a member of the Mercedes-Benz EQ community.

Still grounded despite soaring to great heights.

Mike’s New York Times bestseller “Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe”, has further enhanced his popularity as a speaker and author. Nevertheless, Mike, who grew up in Long Island, New York, is still extremely grounded. As a professor, he not only displays real passion and humor in educating his engineering students about the secrets of space travel, but he works with them on numerous socially relevant engineering projects.